Thomas s



'THOMAS s. sPEA'KMam oIioAMDnmNgnlw-JERSEY;

ALaim Peten: ivo. 77,331, zaad nameless.

PPn-ooUPL-Ine ron RAILROAD-oas uterina.V f

"digi dntnle referrer-tiamina heeft intmt un outing gni rt intime.

TO- ALL WHOM IT MAY CONGERN: y

Be .it known that I,`TnoMAsfS.iSPI-:AKMAN, of Oamdemramden county, New Jersey, have invented an Improved Tubular Connection between Railroad-Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same. l

My invention consists'in the combination of a rigid bell-mouthed tube-attached to one car, with ailexible selipacking tube attached to an adjoining car, and sliding in the said rigid tube, thus forming a self-coupling joint between the tubes of the different cars of a railway-train, and providing a continuous pipe for the passage of sten-m or heated or cold air.'

In order to enable others-skilled in the art to pinke and apply my' invention, I 'will now proceed to describa ts construction and operation, reference beingv had to the accompanying drawing, which forms apart of this specification, and-in whichl Figure -1' islaI sectional vewo'i my improved tubular connection between railroad-cars, andI Figure 2a plan view of the-same.' I 7 l I, A and A represent the bumpen-beams of two adjacent raiiroad-cars, and a a the bumpers. f To the bumper` `-beam A of one cai' is secured a reservoir or duct, B, of theshape, or approximating t o the shape, illustrated in the drawing; and intoa tube, permanently secured to this reservoir, passesthe coupling-pini), vthrough .a

' link, Ehinged to the bumper-beam'A of the other car. To' the latter beam is secured n pipe, F, having a funnel-shaped' mouth, f, and into thisl pipe iit's snugly, but so as to slidefreely, an elastic tube,' G, composed of gum-elastic or otherequivalent material, which will not be injuriously affected by heat, the tube beingproperly strengthened by coils of wire, but so as not to destroy its moderate elasticity. This tube G is secured to va tubular -projectiono, on the front end of the reservoir dr duct D, and from the rear end of the lattcr'projects a pipe,A H, contuminicating with a distributing-reservoir placed beneath thel body of one car, while the pipe F communicates with a similar reservoir beneath the other car, every car in the train having alike reservoir, and

the tubular communication between the earsbeing effected in the manner andfbythe devices described abone,

Either heatedvair'or steam may be .forced from thc-engine or tender, oiirstcar' of the trafin, throughthd several reservoirs and their tubularl communications. If heated airbe used, the reservoirs may bcprovided with `gratings for the escapeof theair into the cars; and during the summer months thel pipes and reservoirxi may be employed -for distributing cold air through the cnrs: I

4Many, devices have beenpro'posed for facilitating Ithe heating and cooling'of railwaycars by forcing heatedl air or steam or coldair'through-the entire train. The main difficulty experienced in attaining this result hasbeen the arranging between the cars of eiicient tubular connections, which couldbe 'coupled vand"uncoupl'ed with facility, these connectionsbeing generallysitted outside the bumper-beams, where they are'subjected to the greatest strain, and' where they are necessarily more sensibly aiectedby the lateral vibrationso'f the cnrs.

The tubes, too, have generally Ibeen 'connected by screw-couplings, which demand more .or less 'tedious man ipu-.

lation when the cars are connected and disconnected.,

` Moreover, the tubular couplings outside the .bumper-beams "mnst, "oi" necessity, be very -loosejor slack, so that they can accommodate themselves tothe movements'of'thecars; and if steam be used, a condensation taires place in the pendent portions of the coupling, andthe condensed water freezes, so as to destroy the coms municaton'between the cars. v s I e f Thesel serious 'objections I overcome lay-arranging the tubular connections centrally, or 'thereabouts, with thecoupling where they will be least aifectedby the lateral movement o i the cars, and by makingtho tubes oi' I- theA cars self-coupling, inthe manner described above, forthe simple introduction of the tube G into the bellmouthed tube F, suices to eect the necessary tight joint;l and, whi1e the tube Gr is comparatively rigid, it possesses elasiticity enough to accommodate itself tothe s'light lateral or vertical movement of the cars at this p oint, and can at thersame time slide freely in' the tube F.

I do' not .claim broadly a ilexible connecting-pipe attached to one end of shot-water or air-pipe beneath a railway-car, and having at the opposite end a tube sliding in a' pipe upon another car; butv V l Y 11,331 2 I claim as my invention, :md desire fasecure by Letters Patent# 1. A'pipe, F, having a bell-mouth at one .endfarranged beneath a ganas descrhed, and adapted for the rccepti'on of s, flexible tube, G,whiol1`comuiunictes with n. reservoir benenth-nnother-car, und slides n'the pipe F, i all as s'et forth. i l

2; The re'se'voir B, communicating 'with tu tube H'lnclG, and having n recess fr Vthe reception of u. `coupling-pin, D, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to thsspeccon'in the presence of two snbscrjbing Witnesses.

THOMAS S. SPEAKMAN.`

Witnesses:

J om? WHITE, C. B. Pmcn 

